"And this is the Cause why many times Men, as well as Women, and Men of the greatest, and best Qualities other ways, yet have found themselves weak in this Part, and have not been able to bear the Weight of a secret Joy, or of a secret Sorrow; but have been oblig'd to disclose it, even for the mere giving Vent to themselves, and to unbend the Mind, opprest with the Weights which attended it."
— Defoe, Daniel (1660?-1731)
Author
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
W. Chetwood and T. Edling
Date
1722
Metaphor
"And this is the Cause why many times Men, as well as Women, and Men of the greatest, and best Qualities other ways, yet have found themselves weak in this Part, and have not been able to bear the Weight of a secret Joy, or of a secret Sorrow; but have been oblig'd to disclose it, even for the mere giving Vent to themselves, and to unbend the Mind, opprest with the Weights which attended it."
Metaphor in Context
And this is the Cause why many times Men, as well as Women, and Men of the greatest, and best Qualities other ways, yet have found themselves weak in this Part, and have not been able to bear the Weight of a secret Joy, or of a secret Sorrow; but have been oblig'd to disclose it, even for the mere giving Vent to themselves, and to unbend the Mind, opprest with the Weights which attended it; nor was this any Token of Folly at all but a natural Consequence of the Thing; and such People had they struggl'd longer with the Oppression, would certainly have told it in their Sleep, and disclos'd the Secret, let it have been of what fatal Nature soever, without regard to the Person to whom it might be expos'd. This Necessity of Nature, is a Thing which Works sometimes with such Vehemency, in the Minds of those who are guilty of any atrocious Villany; such as a secret Murther in particular, that they have been oblig'd to Discover it, tho' the Consequence has been their own Destruction: Now, tho' it may be true that the divine Justice ought to have the Glory of all those Discoveries and Confessions, yet 'tis as certain that Providence which ordinarily Works by the Hands of Nature, makes Use here, of the same natural Causes to produce those extraordinry Effects.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "mind" and "unbend" in HDIS (Prose)
Citation
At least 13 entries in the ESTC (1722, 1741, 1753, 1761, 1765, 1770, 1773, 1776, 1799). [Abridgments not included in foregoing list: see, for example, Fortune's Fickle Distribution]
Daniel Defoe, The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, & c. Who was Born in Newgate, And during a Life of continu'd Variety for Threescore Years, besides her Childhood, was Twelve Years a Whore, five Times a Wife (whereof once to her own Brother) Twelve years a Thief, Eight Years a Transported Felon in Virginia, at last grew Rich, liv'd Honest, and died a Penitent. Written from her own Memorandums (London: W. Chetwood, at Cato's-Head in Russel-street, Covent Garden and T. Edling, at the Prince's-Arms, over against Exeter Change in the Strand, 1722).
Daniel Defoe, The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, & c. Who was Born in Newgate, And during a Life of continu'd Variety for Threescore Years, besides her Childhood, was Twelve Years a Whore, five Times a Wife (whereof once to her own Brother) Twelve years a Thief, Eight Years a Transported Felon in Virginia, at last grew Rich, liv'd Honest, and died a Penitent. Written from her own Memorandums (London: W. Chetwood, at Cato's-Head in Russel-street, Covent Garden and T. Edling, at the Prince's-Arms, over against Exeter Change in the Strand, 1722).
Date of Entry
05/09/2011
